Silver Morning
by Lotusxdoll
Summary: From day one Daryl knew he wouldn't like Deena James. Everything about her got under his skin, yet somehow without him knowing, he grew to respect her and more. DarylxOC
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: I have wanted to do something with Daryl Dixon for sometime now and this is it. Please enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I tried my hardest to keep him in character. We never see him in relationships on the Walking Dead, so I thought this would be an interesting 'what if'.**_

_**Annnnd if it matters, I am also a Rick Grimes fan. So with that being said, I have a fanfic about him as well. It's my main focus honestly and gets updated way more, but I love all my creations equally! **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own the Walking Dead, but I do love Daryl Dixon if that counts for anything... Doubt it does, but whaaatver.**_

* * *

"You disgust me." The young woman riding in the passenger side of the truck scrunched up her nose as she eyed the driver. He smirked as he started to dig deeper into his nose with his index finger out of spite. "Stop doing that!"

Ever since meeting this man, she had often found herself asking why she somehow always got stuck with him. It was as if God was playing a joke on her, one she still couldn't find the humor in. Though they weren't sitting close, the space between them still wasn't enough. The thought of the truck hitting a bump and forcing them to touch accidently made her stomach churn and her skin crawl in disgust. Everything about that man repulsed her.

"If you don't like it, get out. I'll even be nice enough to pull over for you."

She hated his country twang. She hated his disheveled blonde hair. She hated his average blue eyes. She hated his sleeveless shirts and dirty jeans. She flat out hated him,

"What the fuck am I supposed to do if I get out asshole?!"

"Walk your stuck up ass there is what you can do." The had hit a speed bump, causing the drivers index finger to go further up his nose than it should have. "Shit!" he hissed. The woman smirked, looking out her window.

"And that's what you get."

"Shut up." He grumbled.

He couldn't stand the woman that sat next to him. She managed to work his nerves like no other. He didn't know much about her life before the world went to shit, not that he cared much truthfully. All he knew was she had been a bounty hunter and unfortunately knew Merle, his older brother, very well. He had no idea if she was married, but she always wore a diamond ring on her left ring finger.

"Are we there yet?" she asked with a bored tone.

"How the hell should I know?" he snapped. All he wanted to do was drive in silence, but she couldn't even let him do that.

"You're the one driving."

"Yeah, which means I call the shots. And I say shut the fuck up cause your voice is giving me a headache."

"Fuck you, you dirty hick."

One thing the man knew was that he would never like her.

_Ever._

He couldn't recall what it was that made him first dislike her, but every day he disliked her more and more. He had no idea why she was riding in his truck; she seemed to get along with everyone but him. It would make sense to let her ride with one of them, but no, they wanted him to suffer.

If he had to drive his truck off the road to kill the both of them just to spite her, he would do it. That was just how much he couldn't stand her.

"Say that one more time and this dirty hick will shove your ass out this truck."

She wanted to say something back, but she knew by the look in his eyes that he was far from kidding. He never joked with her anyway. She was sure that if she made one more rude comment, he'd either shove her out the moving truck or punch her in the face. Either way, it would end in violence if she decided to say what she wanted.

In all honesty, she had been lashing out at him the whole ride because she wanted to keep her mind off the dying man in the RV behind them. They never spoke much, but no one deserved to die that way. At their last camp site, Jim had been bitten and everyone knew what was going to happen to him.

The young woman would not have believed it if someone were to tell her months ago that she would end up traveling with a group of strangers, trying to survive in a world that was overrun with the living dead. She would have laughed and asked if that idea had come from a zombie movie and if so, where could she see it. Now she was in a real apocalypse and it had no script.

She crossed her arms over her chest and gazed out the window. There was a silence just begging to be broken. She knew she could try to say something nice to try to get on Daryl's good side, but for some reason everything she thought to say ended up being insults. Besides, she doubted he even had a good side.

"Do you work out?" she asked randomly. She wanted to smack herself the moment those words left her mouth. The world had ended, who was worried about maintaining washboard abs?

"What the fuck kind of question is that?" his eyes flickered to her for a moment, then back to the road. Apparently, he agreed that it was a stupid question.

"I'm trying to make conversation." She replied lamely.

"Who said I wanted to talk to you?"

She frowned. "Whatever, look I don't like all this silence."

"Get over it, cause I don't want to talk to you."

"Answer the damn question!"

"Ok. No, I don't. Do you know why? Cause the world ended and for some strange reason, I just can't seem to find a good gym any more. Any recommendations?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, actually." She tried to stop herself. Really, she did. "Go back to lifting them beer kegs. I heard that's how you hicks work your arms out. I'm sure you got a few in the bed of your truck. It's the first thing grabbed before leaving home, right?"

"You bitch." He reached over and pushed open her door. "I ain't gonna be nice enough to stop for you. Tuck and roll sweetheart."

"Are you crazy?!" she yelled, trying to close the door. She could just see herself falling out the moving car, getting hit with the RV, rolling on the pavement then finally breaking every bone in her body. She slammed the door shut in a huff. "You asshole, you could have seriously hurt me."

"That was the plan." He mumbled without humor.

"Fuck you."

"Sweet heart, I'd never take you up on that offer."

"Don't flatter yourself, I would never offer you a night with me."

"You couldn't handle a night with me." He shot back, smirking. He had been known to break a bed or two, and never got a complaint.

"You're right." His eyebrows shot up in surprise to her words. "I couldn't handle your body odor. I already smell you from here." She flashed him the sweetest smile she could.

"I hate you."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the Walking Dead, just my character, Deena.

* * *

Anyone who saw them together would have described them as the perfect match. They always were affectionate with one another, holding hands and sharing inside jokes. It was rare to see one without the other and she liked it that way. They had dated two years before he popped the question. Without hesitation or doubt, she had said yes.

Everything had been going good for Deena James. She had the love of her life, a great job that gave her a lot of free time, and her father was in good health still.

Before meeting her future husband, she had worked at a fast food restaurant, not sure what to do with herself. It wasn't until a tall, dark haired man walked in and ordered a burger with fries. He had written his number in ketchup on a napkin and that day her who life changed.

He said his name was Eric, but everyone called his Chicago since that was where he was from and his accent was weird in Atlanta. When Deena asked why he had moved, he replied that he was trying to become a bounty hunter. He had seen a reality show about it, and decided that was his calling.

What calling? She had no idea, but he was happy which was all that mattered. At some point, he had convinced her to get her gun license and try it.

Her first bounty had her addicted. It was like a drug. She got such a high from the moment she knew she found the fugitive all the way to the ride to the jail house. Never had she felt more adrenaline surge through her veins. She couldn't see herself doing anything else ever again.

Her father on the other hand was not too pleased. She was all he had left in the world since her mother had killed herself when Deena was 13. Her father never told her why her mother had decided to end her life, but Deena had a sneaking suspicion she knew, and it had to do with her.

No matter how much time had passed, Deena was sure she would always remember the day her life changed completely.

She and Chicago had been going after a bounty. He was a criminal that had been dodging court and his lawyer fees for months over a silly convenience store robbery. All he had gotten away with was a Mr. Goodie bar and 30 bucks.

"There he is." Deena whispered as she passed the binoculars to Chicago. He looked through them and smirked.

"Well I'll be damned. You were right; the fool did end up back at his mama's house."

"Told you." She smugly replied. Chicago playfully rolled his eyes, but lovingly smiled at her.

"Whatever, let's just go get him so we can get paid. I'm gonna take you to a nice dinner tomorrow at one of those fancy restaurants. You know, the kind that has a hard name to pronounce."

"Chicago, you know I don't-"

"Hush. Let me do something nice for you. We've been working hard to find this guy, we deserve it."

"Well… Fine, but you gotta let me do something nice for you."

They exited their car as quietly as they could, their guns drawn. The mans mother was not home. Deena had been watching the house for a little over a week and knew she was at her bingo game down at the community center. Reaching the door, Chicago nodded his head at her, letting her know he was ready to knock. He tapped the door. When receiving no reply, he knocked again. They heard shuffling towards the door.

"Who?" a gruff voice asked from the other side of the door.

"Pizza." Chicago lied.

"Pizza? I ain't order no pizza."

"No? Damn, my boss must of given me the wrong number, can I use your phone."

"No." the man answered. Deena rolled her eyes. This was going to take a while.

"Come on man, I need to deliver this."

"Go some where else."

"You're the only house here!" Chicago argued. There was a moment of silence followed by the sound of the door being opened. Chicago smirked, aiming his gun at the man's face. "Special delivery for Spencer Callows."

"Shit." The man muttered before shoving past them. Deena almost fell, but caught herself. She let out a sigh.

"I knew he'd run." She mumbled before running behind the man. She felt her heart begin to race in anticipation. Would she catch him? Would he go down without a fight?

Chicago ran past her, sticking his tongue out teasingly at Deena. She frowned. He was always a faster runner. The criminal, Spencer reached for something in the waistband of his jeans. Deena couldn't tell what it was, but it was probably a knife. She wasn't worried though, because Chicago was good at dodging knife attacks.

Deena watched Chicago tackle the man. She stopped running to catch her breath. He had it handled. The two men wrestled for a moment before she heard the loud pop of a gun going off. All of a sudden, a shiver went through her body. Had Chicago shot the man?

She ran over, her gun aimed at them just in case. What she saw made her heart stop. Chicago laid motionless on top of the fugitive. He shoved Chicago's body off him, but froze when he saw Deena. In his hand was a gun, not a knife like she had originally thought. He aimed his gun at her chest, ready to kill her so he could make his escape.

All she saw was red. Chicago wasn't moving and she honestly had no idea if he was even alive at that point. All she knew was that the man who had shot him was ready to shoot her next and it infuriated her. Not caring for her own safety anymore, Deena lunged at him, knocking his gun from his hand.

She looked him in the eyes and brought her gun to his face. He looked like a scared animal that had been caught off guard. She wanted to shoot him, make him pay for possibly killing Chicago.

"I could blow your fucking brains own right now if I wanted." She threatened. He was shaking; she could feel it as she sat on top of his chest. Chicago would be mad if she shot him though. So she did the next best thing. She swung her gun at his face, knocking it to the side from the force.

He gasped, shocked to have been hit with the gun. She continued to pistol whip him until his face was bloody and he was starting to pass out. She stood up and kicked him in the side, earning a painful grunt from him.

In the distance she saw police lights coming their way. Someone must have heard the gun shot and called the cops. Deena threw her gun down and dropped to her knees next to Chicago. He was barely breathing. There was so much blood; Deena could not be sure where he was shot at.

* * *

From the moment he had been wheeled out of the OR, Deena had not left his side. His family was flying in to Atlanta in the morning. The doctor had said that it didn't look good and to say good bye.

It made Deena's heart ache to see him hooked up to so many machines to keep him alive. He was now just a body without a soul according to the doctors. She wanted to believe he would wake up and make some joke about wrestling being more painful than it looked on tv, but she knew he was gone. From what was told to her, Chicago had been shot in the head. There was nothing that could be done to bring him back. His body was just a shell without Chicago's witty personality.

She held his hand, pressing her lips against the smooth skin. The inside of his hand had always been rough. Tears rolled down her cheek, wetting both of their hands. She wanted to talk to him, tell him how much she loved him. Would it have made a difference? From the way his hand limply sat in hers, she doubted it.

"Eric…" his name rolled of her tongue strangely. It was rare for her to call him by his real name. "I wish… Why couldn't it have been me?" she knew he wouldn't have wanted it to have been her in his place. "I love you, you know that? I'll never love anyone like you Eric. I promise."

Two days later, Chicago was taken off his life support machine. Deena stood by his mother, watching him take his last few breaths on his own before stopping completely. She heard his mother sob, shaking uncontrollable. Deena wanted to reach out and hold the woman, but how could she comfort her when she needed someone to make her feel like her world hadn't just ended?

Chicago's father and young sister had also made the trip to Atlanta, but neither could stand to watch him die. His mother sat by his bed and cried. She had lost her only son.

Deena lost the only man she ever loved, and she lost him over a Mr. Goodie bar and 30 bucks.

* * *

"Are you sure you're feeling alright? I could get you some soup." Deena offered, sitting by her fathers bed. He gave her a warm smile, but shook his head.

"I'm fine Deena. Don't worry about me."

"I can't help it." She replied. "You've been sick for two days now and only seem to be getting worse."

"It's alright. It's probably just the flu. It's been going around I've heard." She nodded, looking down at his bandaged hand. Some person had scratched him outside his job at the factory. It was deep and didn't seem to be healing, but her father wasn't worried. "You can go home you know."

She smiled at him, something she rarely did any more. "You know I can't leave you while you're sick. Who's gonna watch late night tv with you if I leave?" she joked. He laughed weakly. He didn't want to tell her just how much pain he really was in.

"Deena." His tone was serious. "I know how much you hate staying there by yourself."

"What are you going on about?"

"Your apartment. Deena, it's been two years now, I know it's hard, but you need to move on. Chicago wouldn't want this."

"How do you know what he'd want?!" she snapped.

He sighed. "I know he loved you. He wouldn't want to see you like this. You walk around always wearing black, frowning. The only reason you keep that apartment is because you both shared it, but at the same time there are too many memories there." He weakly spoke.

Vincent James knew his daughter. He knew that Deena was just trying to keep the past alive. But it scared her to know that the past was gone and all she had were the memories. Chicago wasn't coming back and as much as she knew that, a part of her refused to truly believe it.

Every night she lay in their bed, crying herself to sleep and holding his pillow close. It no longer smelled like him, but knowing he used to lay his head on it made her feel a little comfort. She left his side of the room the same as the last day he had been alive. His side was messy from him throwing things around to look for whatever it had been that he needed. He had always been sloppy.

Every morning she woke up, thinking his death was some terrible nightmare and she would get to hold him close as soon as she got out of bed, but as soon as she would leave their room, she'd be reminded that he just wasn't coming home.

As painful as losing him was, her nightmare was just beginning.

* * *

A/N: Ah, well it took a while to update this, but I did it. I've been super lazy and working mostly on World Without Words, but since that's almost done, I've had more time to figure this one out.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the Walking Dead, just my original characters.

* * *

Deena pushed open the blue pick-up truck door, the rusty metal hinges squeaking. She stretched her legs out before letting them touch the hard pavement. Above her the sun was shining brightly, its rays beating down on her bare shoulders. She had just stepped out of the truck, but already she could feel herself starting to sweat. Deena hated the heat, she hated Georgia, and she hated feeling dirty. It had been a good while since she had a nice, cool shower.

Since being found in the department store by Andrea, a thin blonde woman, she had been taking what she liked to call 'bird baths' in the reservoir at the campsite. Prior to that, her means of cleaning was a water bottle and lots of perfume. She hated how in the zombie movies everyone was squeaky clean or never really covered in blood. No one ever smelled and they all looked so perfect. In reality, the people she had been with smelled sweaty all the time and were always dirty, no matter how much they all washed their shit. Her clothes still had the blood stains from a few walkers she had put down in the past. No matter how much she washed her clothes, blood just didn't come out. Now how in the fuck did the people in zombie movies do it, cause she sure as hell couldnt.

She slammed the door and reached her thin arms above her head in a stretch. Deena wasn't sure why they stopped, but she was grateful for a chance to get out of the truck and walk around for a little.

"What you slammin' my door like that for?"

Deena rolled her eyes. She was so happy until she heard that voice. "What? Afraid it'll break? Not my fault your truck is a rusty piece of shit."

"You ain't gotta ride in it if that's how you feel."

"I ain't got a choice." She mimicked his deep southern twang, purposely trying to piss him off. "What? Is insulting a hicks truck like insulting his mama or something where you from?"

Daryl felt the overwhelming desire to 'accidently' shoot her with his crossbow. It was soundless, so walkers wouldn't hear a thing. Maybe if he just slip, fell (while aiming perfectly at her head), and released an arrow, his headache known as Deena would be gone. Besides, accidents happen all the time right?

"You're way too cranky all the time. Merle was right about you though."

Her left eyebrow arched. "What did he say?" she cautiously asked. Did she really want to know about anything Merle Dixon had to say?

"Your panties are always in a bunch cause you can't get a man to touch you."

Deena's nostrils flared, causing Daryl to smirk in satisfaction. He won this round. "You fucking ass-"

Before Deena could finish her insult, Rick, the group leader, stepped out of the RV with a grim expression. He let out a sigh before motioning everyone over. For someone so young, he always looked so stressed. Deena pitied him really. He didn't ask to be a leader, it was a role almost forced upon him. She admired him because he was what every leader should have been. He cared for the group as a whole, not just himself and his family.

"What's wrong?" she asked once reaching Rick and the rest of the group.

He took in a deep breath before speaking, his hands resting on his hips. "It's Jim. He wants us to leave him."

"Why would he want us to do that?" Lori asked, her son close.

Now Lori was an interesting woman to Deena. She was Rick's wife but she had a thing for his best friend. Rick was thought to be dead and his wife and son was in the care of his best friend Shane. Just like a lot of 'friends', he wanted to have what Rick had. Long story short, Shane fucked Lori, Rick wasn't really dead and found his family. Rick still didn't know his wife and best friend did the nasty.

"Jim says the ride is too painful. Every time we hit a bump, he says it feels like his bones are shattering. He can't take this much longer guys. He's burning up and… Well he won't make it."

"But we can't just leave him out here like that!" Lori argued. "Where's the humanity in that?"

"It's what he wants." Dale chimed. Dale by far was one of Deena's favorite. He was an older man, grey hair and beard. He reminded her of the Santa Clause her father would take her to the mall to see every year. He was round and occasionally looked jolly. "It's his decision."

"If he wants to be left out here, why we even having this pow-wow?" Daryl asked, his crossbow slung over his shoulder as usual. "Makes no sense."

"Course it makes no sense to you." The moment Deena opened her mouth, everyone knew where this was going. "Just cause no one would give a second thought to dumping you on the side of the road, doesn't mean we'd do that to someone else." He was so insensitive and it aggravated her to no end.

"You know what? Maybe you should stay behind with him and hopefully get your smart ass bit by one of them walkers."

She snarled at him. "Fuck you Dixon."

"Seriously, can you two not do this for once?" Rick nearly begged. Deena felt a pang of guilt and frowned.

"Sorry." She mumbled, looking down at her feet like a child that had just been chastised. Rick had a way of making her feel like she was a delinquent child, and a part of her felt like she deserved it for always misbehaving. But it was Daryl's fault, he should be punished too.

Rick ran his fingers through his disheveled hair and looked back at the RV. "Only thing left to do now is wait for Shane and Glenn to get back."

As if hearing his name, Shane pulled up in his land rover. He jumped out, an Asian man following behind him, but keeping distance between them. Deena wasn't fond of Shane, he was a deputy prior to the end of the world and was partnered up with Rick. She knew his type all too well. He had the right words to make a lady fall for him, but he was really a dick. He was alright on the eyes, Deena couldn't deny that, but something was off about him. She could feel it. She kept her distance from him. As much as she hated Dixon, she knew he wasn't a crazy hick like she enjoyed calling him. Shane on the other hand, well he was a ticking time bomb and it became very clear to her once Rick returned.

Glenn walked over to Denna, holding a worn out car hose in his grease covered hands. She noticed Shane was clean, but Glenn wasn't. It was obvious who got forced to do the dirty work.

"What happened?" Glenn asked, furrowing his brows.

"It's Jim." Deena answered. "He's not gonna make it. He wants us to leave him here."

"That's crazy. He's gonna die."

Deena frowned. "I think either way he's gonna die Glenn."

Daryl let out an audible sigh, letting his crossbow drop to his side. He was getting tired of this. They wanted to act compassionate and show they were still civil, but these were the same people that left his brother handcuffed to a roof. Merle may have been intolerable a good majority of the time, but it was still the only family he had. An asshole, but still family.

"So it's decided, we're going to do what he wants." Rick looked around the group for any objection, but received none.

* * *

"Think we should be going to the CDC?" Deena kept flicking her lighter on and off. She wasn't a smoker, but Chicago was and it had been his. It was a zippo lighter with the colorful image of pinup model Betty Page. He always had a serious crush on her and Deena could understand why.

"How should I know?" Daryl replied, trying to focus on the road.

"I'm just asking your opinion." She snapped.

"I ain't got one. The Sheriff wants to go there still, don't matter to me."

"Rick. His name ain't Sheriff, it's Rick."

Daryl smirked, still looking at the road ahead of him. "Did I offend you by not calling him that? Pardon me, I know a woman's gotta defend the men she fucks."

"What the fuck? I'm not sleeping with him." She dully replied, though the thought did cross her mind once. There was something sexy about that man when he took charge of things, telling everyone what to do. The naughty thought had exited her mind as quickly as it entered, what would Chicago think? Though it had been a really long time since she got some good loving.

"I ain't too sure I believe that. You're on his dick pretty hard all the time, defending him and backing up his decisions."

"Cause he's the only one suggesting shit that makes sense."

"Whatever, I still think he bangs you out. With that wife of his creeping around with the deputy, I wouldn't be surprised."

"You're just mad no one is creeping around with you."

"Oh, trust me sugar, you should be glade no one is. You wouldn't get a wink of sleep with the way I make my women scream."

"Why? Cause they have to see you naked? Or do they scream cause they're shocked by how tiny it is?"

Daryl laughed, surprising her. "You don't even know how wrong you are." If there was one thing he was always secure in, it was his size. Dixon men were blessed with that and everyone woman that got a taste of a Dixon always ended up addicted.

Deena wanted to say something smart back, but she was speechless. No matter how many cracks she made about him being unable to perform in bed, he never got mad. If anything, he would just grin to himself as if he knew some inside joke. Lord, he pissed her the fuck off


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own the Walking Dead, just my original characters.

* * *

"I gotta admit, I like it here." Deena took a sip from her glass that was half filled with bourbon, Wild Turkey to be exact. A few shots of that used to have her ready to jump on a table and dance. It still kind of did actually.

Glenn sat beside her silently, but he was grinning. At what, Deena had no clue because he was looking into space. She could already tell he wasn't the type to hold his liquor well. He hadn't even had that much to drink and he was already pretty buzzed. Her small frame shook with light laughter as she reached over and took his glass, refilling it with wine. His face became gleeful as he excitedly took the glass and drank.

Dale eyed her glass, but was smiling at her affectionately. Deena was a hard ass, but he knew deep down she was a scared little girl and it was all a front. He knew he'd like Deena the moment she started to get into detail about why John Coltrane was simply the best jazz composer and saxophonist ever. What he found interesting about the young woman was that she always wore black. No matter how hot it was, she refused to wear a light color. She never explained why, nor did she bother to explain why she wore an engagement ring when asked about it.

He watched her refill her glass with more bourbon. She made a slight face as she let the sip she took slide down her throat, probably setting fire to her insides. He looked around the cafeteria table. Everyone was happy and carefree for the time being. No one knew what their next move would be, but now wasn't the time to think about that. It was time to celebrate finding a safe place in the CDC.

Rick stood up, holding his wine glass up and facing the good Dr. Edwin Jenner. He had been the only one at the CDC and let them stay. He shared his liquor and food with them and they were all too grateful.

"I want to thank Dr. Jenner." Rick spoke loudly, drawing all the attention on him. Everyone grew silent. "We haven't thanked you, but know that this means a lot to us."

"You saved our butts doc." Deena chimed, holding her glass up.

"He's more than just our host." T-dog added. He was a buff African American and he was bald. He looked fierce and at one point intimidated Deena until she got to know him. He was actually a real sweet heart. He was seated next to Jaqui. She was also African American, but a bit of a spitfire.

"Booya!" Daryl cheered, holding up his bottle of Southern Comfort. He was smiling and looked genuinely happy, not like his usual brooding self.

"Booya!" Everyone but Shane and the doctor repeated. Dr. Jenner half smiled, tilting his glass in their direction before taking a sip.

"Glad you all are so happy. No one's gonna ask why we came here and only found this guy?" Shane asked, his arms cross over his wide chest.

"Shane, come on brother, we're relaxing now."

"No, Rick. This was your move. We're here now and all we found was one doctor in this big building. Now why is that?"

Dr. Jenner looked down at his hands for a moment before looking straight at Shane. "When things got bad, some left to be with their family. When the military was over run, a lot of the other doctors bolted or opted out. I'm all that's left."

The air grew heavy and for a moment, no one knew what to say. Glenn stood up wobbly and frowned. "You're such a buzz kill dude." His words were slightly slurred.

"Way to go Shane, now I gotta drink even more to forget how depress I feel all of a sudden." Deena mumbled while filling her glass to the brim. She already know that she wouldn't even finish the glass before really feeling it.

* * *

Deena swayed and stumbled with every step she took. Her body felt light and her eyes drooping. She giggled randomly, remembering how Glenn had stood up to go to bed, but fell straight to the cafeteria floor and passed out. Oh, how she adored her Korean.

Now it was time for her to go to bed and sleep this off, but where was her room again? All the doors looked the same in the dim hallway. She dragged her feet to the end of it and pushed open a door. She had no idea if it was her room or not, but she needed to lay down. Closing the door gently behind her, she felt her legs give out beneath her, sending her crashing to the carpeted floor. She let out another giggle, running her fingers against the carpet.

The bathroom door opened, the light shining in her eyes. She groaned, shielding her face. She heard footsteps, but the stopped suddenly. There was a sigh. It sounded frustrated, or was it annoyed? Either way, whoever it was didn't seem to thrilled to find Deena on their floor, groaning.

"You gotta be shitten me." The deep voice spoke. "Of all the places you wanna pass out at, you just had to find me." She recognized that unmistakable southern drawl that made her skin crawl, but for some reason it didn't have its usual effect on her. "Get up." He ordered.

"I can't." she replied, her voice slurring.

"I go to take a fucking shower and come back to this." He kept grumbling to himself, but Deena didn't care about what he was saying. She felt two hands grab the inside of her elbows and hoisted her up. The sudden movement had caused the room to spin and Deena to lean her back against Daryl for support. She felt drops of water seep through the back of her tank top and on the top of her bare back. Daryl was shirtless and wet. He held her up, reluctantly letting her lean against him for support.

His body felt hard against her back. She giggled again, thinking that all the hunting he did paid off. She heard him grunt as he shoved her away from him.

"What's so damn funny?" he demanded. She flopped down on his bed lacking, feminine grace. In the glow of that bathroom light she could see his waist wrapped in a towel and for a moment she let her eyes wonder up his happy trail, to his tight abs, his strong chest and finally stopping at his face. Daryl didn't miss her checking him out and for a moment he felt a swell of manly pride knowing she liked what she saw. "What was funny?" he repeated.

"Nothing." She replied, leaning back on her elbows. Her eyes were glossed over and her pouty lips curved into a smile. Had it been any other woman on his bed like that he would have jumped her bones. But this wasn't a woman. This was Deena.

"Get out." Daryl walked over and grasped her thin arm. He was able to wrap his hand completely around it. He never noticed how skinny she really was.

"Why?" she whined.

He pulled her up with ease, almost wishing she'd insult him or act bitchy. He didn't like this Deena, not that he liked the normal Deena either. "You got a bed, go to it."

"I don't know where it is." She sounded like a child. He wanted to slap her for being so annoying and finding his room out of everyone's. Didn't she and that chino have something going on? Why wasn't she passed out in his room?

"Tell you what, I'll be nice enough to walk you out my door. After that, pick any other door you want and pass the fuck out there."

She smiled, pushing her body against his for a moment then pulling away. "I wanna dance." She started to hum and began to dance offbeat to her own tune.

Daryl let her go and rubbed his face roughly. All he wanted to do was sleep. It had been a while since he got a good shower and a bed to sleep in. Deena just couldn't let him be happy. Even when she wasn't trying, she still found a way to piss him off.

She suddenly stopped swaying her hips and humming. She looked down at her left hand and flopped onto the floor. She brought her knees to her chest and stared at her ring finger. The diamond glinted slightly in the bathroom light.

"Oh, what now." His patience was wearing thin and he was about to throw her out, lock the door, and go to sleep.

"I used to think all I was good at was being a drunk. Couldn't do nothing right it seemed." Daryl was about to tell her to shut up, but something stopped the words from passing his lips. He couldn't tell she had a drinking problem at any point. He hated to admit it, but he was curious. "I had to have been a disappointment cause my ma killed herself cause of me. Dad never admitted I was the reason, but he never really denied it either. I always wondered what I did wrong to make her wanna kill herself. What could a 13 year old do that was that bad huh?" Daryl had no answer, but he listen closely, strangely interested in her story. He knew the feeling of having a parent hate their child. He knew how it felt to be the child that wonder what they did so wrong to not be loved. "All I ever did was drink, write and work. Then I became a bounty hunter and I felt like my life did have a purpose. I loved what I did, you know? Taking down the bad guys with Chicago."

"Chicago?" Daryl repeated, surprised by how softly he was speaking to her. He wanted to sound rough and mean like he normally would have.

"Eric. We called him Chicago cause that's where he was from."

"Called? He dead now or something?" she nodded. "Walkers got him?"

"Nah, if he was alive when the outbreak happened, you better believe he'd still be alive. Kicking ass and taking names, that's what he'd always say. No walker got him, a bounty did." Her mouth kept going and she wanted to stop. The alcohol made it hard to control the words that were coming out. "He died long before this and I loved him. Deena James ain't never been easy to deal with." Daryl snorted with laughter, knowing how true that was. "But he dealt with me. He cared and loved me. You ever been in love Daryl?"

He looked at her with his blue eyes, silent. He wasn't sure how to answer her, he didn't even know why she was still in his room. Her brown eyes were wide and almost childlike. As much as he joked about her being a big ass kid, he never realized how spot on he had been. Deena wasn't as tough as she pretended to be. She was a kid who had been playing a grownup since she was a child.

As he pulled her off the floor, still silent, he couldn't help but understand how much a like they really were. They both let the past traumas of their lives turn them into tough people who really just wanted acceptance. He hated to admit he had anything in common with Deena or that he wanted people to like him.

Deena didn't fight him, instead she just let him lead her out and into another room across from his. Daryl gently pushed her into the bed and threw the blanket over her. She smiled at him. He started to feel uncomfortable. He wasn't use to her not yelling or glaring at him.

"You're a pain in my ass." He mumbled as he watched her eyelids drop and her breathing grow soft. She finally passed out. "Good riddance."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own TWD

* * *

The door opened softly and a pair of feet could be heard walking over to the messy bed. A body softly flopped down and moaned in pain. Deena peeked her head from under her pillow, her eyes still heavy with sleep. She rolled over to her stomach, pushing the pillow under her head. The person rested their head on her flat stomach and moaned again.

"I'm never drinking again." Glenn muttered, covering his eyes with his forearm. Deena stared at the ceiling, nodding. She knew he couldn't see her but her throat felt too dry for her to even speak. Her mouth tasted like she had licked a toilet and her head was pounding. Glenn sat up and moved to the top of the bed. "This is your fault. You just had to keep refilling my glass. I never made it to bed you know. I woke up on the cafeteria floor. You'd think someone would have been nice enough to put me to bed."

Deena let out a dry laugh before forcing herself to sit up. She ran her fingers through her matted hair. She could already tell it was sticking up in all directions and she must have looked crazy.

"Sorry. I'm not even sure how I got to bed."

"Too bad I didn't wake up naked next to you." Glenn playfully wiggled his eyebrows making Deena laugh.

"As much as we drank, I doubt either of us would have been able to do anything anyway."

The door across the hall opened, catching the pair's attention. Daryl walked out, fully dressed. He glanced at Deena, but didn't say anything as he walked past her door. She found it a odd that he didn't comment on her and Glenn being in bed together. Usually he'd pounce on the chance to make a rude joke at her expense. She shrugged her shoulders, deciding not to think too deep into it. Maybe he was too hung over to even be rude.

"Glenn, get out. I need to shower."

Glenn looked around the room. "This isn't even your room. You're stuff's not in here." Deena frowned, realizing he was right.

"Well… I guess we'll both be getting out of this room."

"No, you mean you're getting out. I can't move without feeling like I wanna hurl what I don't have in my stomach."

"Toughen up Glenn." She joked, getting out of bed slowly. Her stomach jumped to her throat for a moment, but she quickly pushed it down. She'd puke when she reached the comfort of her room, wherever it was.

* * *

"Sleep well?" Dale asked as Deena sat next to him with just a cup of coffee. He flashed her a knowing smile. She frowned.

"You know I feel like shit."

"Maybe next time you shouldn't drink too much."

"Blah, blah, blah, you sound like my dad."

"He must have been a wise man."

Deena blew softly over her steaming cup. "If you say so."

Daryl sat down at the end of the table with a plate of food T-dog had whipped up. Powdered eggs and freeze dried meat. Back to his normal brooding self, he sat silently, eating. Deena smirked. She didn't feel well, but she felt fine enough to pick on Daryl.

"I didn't know you hicks ate anything other than squirrel and other rodents." He looked at her, but didn't reply. She shifted awkwardly in her seat and looked down at her cup. She wasn't sure what to say now, he usually had a smart remark for her.

Dale pretended to be minding his own business, but really he was more interested in Daryl and Deena. It was too quiet for his liking between the two. He would have been fooling himself if he said he hadn't grown accustom to their constant bickering.

Glenn staggered in, rubbing his temples and squinting his eyes. "It's too bright in here." He complained as he took a seat across from Deena. She slid her cup across to him. "Is there alcohol in this?" he asked, skeptically eyeing the cup.

She rolled her eyes. "No, it's just coffee. Drink up, you need it more than me."

Daryl continued to eat, but he also discreetly watch her at the same time. She didn't seem to remember last night, and he liked it better that way. Unfortunately, he couldn't seem to forget and God knows he wanted to. He had a number of mean things to say to Deena, but for some reason he couldn't. He still didn't like her, but he also didn't hate her as much anymore. What the fuck happened? Since when did Daryl Dixon give two flying fucks about Deena James, the bitch that made him think of creative ways to kill a person. Fucking Wild Turkey, killing the flame that made it so easy to hate Deena.

She wasn't bad looking either. Daryl groaned, catching everyone's attention. He could feel three sets of eyes on him, but he mostly felt Deena's beady ones. She wasn't bad looking now? When did that happen? He never did think she was hideous or anything. She had a decent rack, but he was an ass kind of man. She had a nice one and he had noticed it the first day she joined their group. Her butt reminded him of a bubble, perfectly round and plump. He wanted to bang his head into the table. He always said he'd never screw her because she was such a bitch and that made her unattractive, but something shifted in him. Fucking Wild Turkey, making that bitch seem human. She wasn't human, no human could annoy him the way she did. She had been an 'it', but now she wasn't. She was a woman with a nice ass and a cute face.

Fucking Wild Turkey, making annoying bitches suddenly seem attractive.

* * *

"So you have no idea what it is?" Andrea asked, running a shaky hand through her blonde locks. "That's fucking great." They had all gathered in Dr. Jenner's computer lab. Everyone was curious to know what happened and what answers he could offer.

Dr. Jenner frowned, looking at the large screen that had just moments ago replayed the footage of his wife turning into a walker. He had explained the best he could what he knew about the virus that was creating walkers. He hated to admit that even though he had a little knowledge, he really had no idea what was going on.

"It could be a few things. Parasitic perhaps." He suggested as if they would have feedback to offer.

"Or the wrath of God." Jacqui spoke, crossing her arms over her chest.

"There is that." He admitted. It was a possibility, but he liked to take a scientific approach to things.

"So no one knows what's going on?" Deena asked, rubbing her bare arms.

"Maybe." Dr. Jenner interjected. "There may be some people like me left out there that have answers."

"You don't know? How don't you know?" Rick asked, frustrated from the lack of answers. This was not going how he had planned.

"Everything went down. I've been in the dark for almost a month." Dr. Jenner confessed.

"So it's not just here? There's nothing left anyway, that's what you're really saying." Andrea walked to a desk and slid down it, cradling her knees to her chest.

Daryl rubbed his face hard. "Man, I wanna get shitfaced drink again."

Deena sighed, leaning against one of the computer desks. Daryl had the right idea for once. She hadn't been sure what she was hoping to find out at the CDC, but she was sure this wasn't it.

"This is fucking great." She mumbled. "Fan-fucking-tasic."

"Dr. Jenner, I know this has been taxing for you and I hate to ask one more question, but that clock is counting down," Dale motioned to the large digital clock on the wall. "What happens at zero?"

"The uh basement generators run out of fuel." He answered as he started to walk away, lowering his head.

"And then?" ignoring Rick, Dr. Jenner left the room. "Vi, what happens when the fuel runs out?"

"When the power runs out, facility wide decontamination will occur."

"Decontamination of what? Germs or something?" Deena asked, know they had as good of an idea as she did.

"Listen, I want you guys to go back to your rooms. Shane, T-dog, and Glenn come with me to the basement, we're gonna check on the fuel."

* * *

"You gonna pass that bottle or hog it?" Deena asked, leaning against Daryl's door frame. He took another swig of his Southern Comfort before looking at her.

"Don't think you need to be drinking any more. You get all bitch ass when you do." His tone was teasing.

"What?" she pushed herself off the frame and stepped into the room.

"Did I say you could come in here?"

"Shut up, I invited myself in. Ain't like you hicks got manners anyway, so what does it matter." She fired, waiting for him to say something back. Instead he just looked at her, drinking some more. She ran her hand through her hair growing frustrated. What had she done the night before that had Daryl acting this way? Did she suck his dick and forget? Was he waiting for the perfect moment to spring it on her that they had crazy, hot, sweaty, redneck sex on the floor by the foot of his bed? Why was that thought so descriptive anyway?

"Did you come here for a reason James?"

"I… What the fuck Dixon? Did we fuck or something?"

Daryl's eyes widened for a moment before he let out a small chuckle. There was no humor in it at all. "Me fuck you? Not in your dreams. You can't even get me hard doll face."

She hated to admit it, but he had hurt her feelings. No woman wanted to be told that, no matter how much she may have disliked the man. "You ain't my type no how." She snapped, sounding angrier than she meant to.

"A Dixon is every woman's type."

"Shut up trailer trash." She hissed before snatching his bottle from his hand.

"That fuck you doing you bitch." There was the Daryl she knew. "You best not take a man's drink like that ever again." He snatched the bottle back.

"I would never take a man's drink." Deena mockingly smiled as she placed emphasis on the word 'man'. He was opened his mouth to say something but closed it. He stood up and held his hand up to the vent and frowned. "What's wrong?"

"The air is off." The lights suddenly flickered and Deena knew something was wrong. "What the fuck."

* * *

A/N: I feel like I should explain why I haven't updated this in a while. Originally it was because I was focused on writing the sequel to World Without Words, but when I went back and re-read Silver Morning... I had some major issues with the direction it was going. It was becoming too cliche for me. So I'm doing some major editing to get it back to the original direction I wanted to take it.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own TWD

* * *

The lights were flashing red and an obnoxious beeping sound went off. The steel door to the computer lab went down, trapping everyone inside.

Glenn began to panic. "Did you just lock us in? He just locked us in!"

Jenner sat down and began to record a message, ignoring everyone's yelling. He knew this wasn't the way they wanted to go, but it was for the best. He was helping them, they would see.

"Son of a bitch!" Daryl yelled, springing at Dr. Jenner.

"Shane!" Rick yelled, signaling him to catch Daryl. Shane grabbed the man, but he already had a hold on the collar of his lab coat. T-dog ran over and broke the hold he had. Dr. Jenner fixed his coat, but looked shaken up.

"Open the door now!" Rick demanded.

"No point." Dr. Jenner calmly replied. "Everything is locked down, the emergency exit is sealed."

"Just unseal it then!" Deena yelled, grasping onto the back on Glenn's shirt. "It's can't be that hard Jenner!"

"I'm sorry, I can't control that. The computers do. I told you once that front door closes, it wouldn't be opened again. You heard me say that."

"We didn't think you meant we would die here if we stayed!" she shouted.

"I know you don't see it now Deena, but it's better this way. You'll see." He attempted to assure.

"What way?!" Rick yelled. "What happens in 28 minutes? What happens in-"

"Do you know what this place is?!" Dr. Jenner yelled, silencing everyone. He sprang up from his seat. "We've protected the public from nasty stuff. Small pox, emboli strands that could take out half the country out! Stuff you don't ever want getting out!" he sat back down and composed himself. "In an event of a catastrophic power failure," he lowered his voice. "a terrorist attack for example, HIT is employed to prevent any organism from getting out."

Shane shook his head and ran over to the door. He began to swing at it with the butt of his rifle.

"What's HIT?" Deena asked.

"Vi, define."

"HIT's an aerosol ignition that produces a blast way above significantly greater power and duration of any other known explosive except nuclear. It causes the greatest loss of life and damage to structures."

"It sets the air on fire." Dr. Jenner explained. "It brings an end to suffering and grief. It ends… Everything. It's better this way. You know what's out there, a short brutal life. An agonizing death." He looked at Andrea who had sat down, cradling her knees to her chest. "Your sister, what was her name?"

"Amy." She numbly answered.

"Amy. You've seen what it does." He looked to Rick. "Is that what you want for your wife and son?"

"I don't want this!" he answered.

Shane smacked one of the desks. "Can't make a dent."

"Those doors are designed to stand a rocket launcher."

Daryl let out a frustrate grow before running at Jenner with an ax. T-dog, Shane, and Glenn held the raging man back.

Ignoring him, Dr. Jenner began to speak. "You do want this Rick. Last night you said you knew it was just a matter of time before everyone you loved was dead."

Lori looked at her husband, horrified by the new information. Shane frowned.

"You really said that?" Shane questioned. "After all you been talking?"

Rick looked at Lori. "I had to keep hope alive, didn't I?"

"There is no hope. There never was." Dr. Jenner spoke.

"There is hope. Maybe it won't be with you, maybe not here, but there has to be. Somebody, somewhere."

Andrea rolled her eyes. "What part of everything is gone don't you understand?"

"Listen to your friend. This is it, this is what takes us down. Out extinction event."

"Damn." Shane muttered.

"This isn't right!" Carol cried, holding her daughter to her chest. "You can't keep us here!"

"It's just one tiny millisecond. No pain." Dr. Jenner assured.

"My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this!"

"Wouldn't it be kinder, more compassionate to hold your love ones and wait for the clock to count down?"

Shane grabbed a shot gun that Dr. Jenner had laying around and cocked it.

"Shane, no!" Lori yelled as he pointed it at the doctor. Rick ran in front of him.

"Get out of my way!" he pushed past Rick roughly and aimed the gun directly in the doctors face. "I will blow your head off, do you hear me?!"

"Brother, this is not the way you do this, we'll never get out of here."

"Shane, you listen to Rick!" Lori yelled.

"Don't be stupid Shane! If you kill him, we ain't getting out of here!" Deena tried to reason. Shane let out a scream and fired his gun at a computer. Rick managed to wrestle it away and knocked him to the ground. Everyone froze, looking at Rick.

"Are you done now?" he asked.

"I'm done." Shane mumbled, laying on the floor still.

"I know you're pissed brother, we all are. And I think you're lying Jenner."

"What?"

"I think you're lying about there being no hope. It you really believed that, you would have bolted out of here with everyone else. But you didn't, you stayed. You chose the hard path, why?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It does matter, it will always matter. You stayed when others ran, why?"

"It's not because I wanted to. I made a promise to her." He pointed to the large screen. "My wife!"

Deena finally understood. "She was Test Subject 19, wasn't she?" She understood that he would have gladly opted out a long time ago, but he didn't because of his wife. She almost admired him for keeping the promise even though everyone was hell outside.

He nodded. "She begged me to keep going for as long as I could. How could I tell her no when she was dying?" Daryl ran to the door and began hitting it with his ax. "I should have been the one on that table dying, not here. She ran this place, I just worked here. In our field, she was Einstein. She could have done something about this, not me."

"Your wife didn't have a choice, but you do. That's all we want, a chance."

"Let us keep trying as long as we can." Lori pleaded.

Dr. Jenner sighed. "I told you, once the outside locks down, I can't open it." He walked over to the keypad and pushed in a few numbers. The door opened.

"Come on!" Daryl yelled. Everyone started to run out.

Dr. Jenner looked at Rick. "There's your chance. Take it."

"I'm grateful."

He stood up from his seat. "There will come a day when you won't be." Dr. Jenner leaned forward and whispered in Rick's ear. His face dropped as he moved away.

"Come on!" Glenn yelled. "We got four minutes left!"

Jacque looked back and pulled away from T-dog. "I'm staying sweety."

"What? That's insane. Let's go!" he tried to grab her.

"No, it's completely sane. For the first time in a long time. I'm not ending up like Jim and Amy. There's no time to argue. Not if you wanna get out. Just get out." She pushed T-dog away. "Get out!"

"I'm staying too." Andrea spoke.

"Andrea no." Dale reached out, but she pulled back.

"Dale, times running out." Deena grabbed the older man's arm.

"Go, I'll meet you there." She gave a hesitant nod before running up the dark flight of stairs.

* * *

"This is just great. He lets us out from the lab, now we're feet's away from the cars and still can't get out." Deena ranted, watching Shane shoot at the indestructible glass of the CDC. "We're fucked." She didn't want to die, not yet anyway. It would suck to have survived the world ending just to die because glass wouldn't break. It would be just their luck it seemed.

"Rick, I think I have something that can help." Carol suddenly spoke.

Shane rolled his eyes. "Carol, I don't think a nail file is gonna cut it."

Carol ignored Shane and reached into her purse. She pulled out an unused grenade. "I found it when I was washing your clothes."

Rick's face lit up as he grabbed it from the older woman. "You're a life saver! I hope this works." He took a moment to look back at everyone before speaking again. "Everyone get down." He pulled the stick out and threw it, jumping for cover himself. The floor shook from the impact. Deena had ducked behind Glenn, using him as a human shield, though she would never admit that to him. Slowly, she looked up and started to laugh. The glass wasn't unbreakable as everyone had assumed.

"That shit actually worked!" Deena stood up.

"Come on, we don't have that much time."

"What about Dale and Andrea?" Deena asked Rick. His lips tightened for a moment.

"If they come, they come." Was all he said as he grabbed his wife and son. She would have loved to wait to see if Dale came, but she knew the building would be engulfed in flames soon and she couldn't survive that. Halfway out of the window, she hesitated. If Andrea wanted to stay, it was her call, but she was worried about Dale. What if he tried to get out, but didn't make it in time?

"The fuck is wrong with you? Move!" Deena jumped at the sound of the familiar southern drawl.

"But Dale-"

"Stop being stupid. This place is gonna blow and you're gonna go with it."

"Daryl," it was the first time she said his first name. "What if-" he rolled his eyes and suddenly threw her over his shoulder. She inhaled sharply. "Put me down!"

"You wanna die?!" he yelled, running to his truck effortlessly. He was stronger than she gave him credit for. "Cause I'll drop your ass right now." He offered. He took her silence as a 'no'.

Just as he threw her into his pick up truck and jumped in on top of her, the CDC exploded. The blast had been so strong that it slammed the trucks door closed and shook it. For a moment, Deena was almost sure it would tip over, but it just rocked dangerously back and forth. Though she kept her eyes closed tightly, she could feel Daryl's arm over her head.

For a moment, there was no movement. Daryl slowly looked up. He looked outside and smirked. "Well I'll be damned. The old man and blonde made it out." He didn't miss the relieved smile Deena flashed as she sat up. Daryl watched Dale and Andrea jump into the RV. "Get out my damn seat so I can drive."

Deena frowned. It seemed like things were going back to normal. She managed to maneuver across his lap and to her side. He quickly started the truck and followed behind the RV. He didn't say anything to her, he just focused on the road.

She watched the CDC in the side view mirror as they drove away. It was in engulfed in flames and walkers were starting to stagger over, drawn to the ruckus. Her eyes drifted over to Daryl. He was concentrated on the road as usual. His hair was crazy and his shirt damp with sweat. She shifted a little in her seat, resting her head against the window. For the first time ever, they drove in a comfortable silence.

"Thanks." She suddenly spoke, not looking away from the rode.

Daryl glanced at her. "For what?"

"Saving me."

"I ain't save you."

She smiled, but stayed quiet. She glanced at him again, but this time something was different. She didn't see a nasty, annoying, smelly hick. She saw a man. A good looking man. A good looking man that had nice arms and who knows what else. She was still curious about what had transpired between them the night before. Whatever it was had changed something in him and whatever changed in him made Daryl seem more human.

He was still trailer trash, that would never change in her eyes. Maybe she was suffering through a momentary bout of insanity, but for the moment, Daryl Dixon was alright with her.

* * *

A/N: Seriously guys... I really hated writing the scene in the computer lab. Second time I've had to do it in a story and couldn't really put a spin on it or omit it.


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